Teacher helping students at a Denver public school (Photo By Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post)

In an effort to attract and retain quality teachers, the Colorado Department of Education has awarded the Colorado Boettcher Teacher Residency and Teach for America each $1.47 million in grants.

Formally known as the Quality Teacher Recruitment Program Grant, the money will span a two-year period in which the organizations will collaborate with Colorado school districts to recruit, train and support high-quality teachers in some of the state’s most demanding areas. During the two years, the Colorado Department of Education will have the opportunity to contract with a third party to measure the organizations’ results.

Operated by the Public Education and Business Coalition, the Colorado Boettcher Teacher Residency strives to stem the tide against Colorado’s rapidly increasing rate of impoverished youth through recruiting and supporting skilled teachers. The group focuses on preparing teachers not just for curriculums and textbooks but for cultural and linguistic challenges that may arise as well. This results in 96 percent of Boettcher Teachers remaining in the classroom after their five-year commitment.

The U.S. Department of Education today announced Colorado will receive $653,573 to cover all or part of the fees charged to low-income students for taking Advanced Placements tests. The grant is part of more than $21.5 million in grants awarded to 43 states nationwide.

Based on the anticipated number of test-takers and other factors, the grants under the Advanced Placement Test Fee Program are expected to pay up to $38 per Advanced Placement exam for as many as three exams per student.

“Advanced Placement participation is an important element in creating a college-going culture in our high schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “AP courses help students develop the study skills, critical reasoning and habits of mind that prepare them for the transition to college. They give students — particularly first-generation college-goers — the confidence that they can successfully handle college-level work.”

By subsidizing the test fees, the program intends to encourage low-income students to take AP tests and obtain college credit for high school courses, reducing the time and cost required to complete a postsecondary degree.

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